To Steal a Ring
by XxWanderlustxX
Summary: They're two professional thieves. It's a solid gold magical Ring. A blind man could see how this'll end. The Fellowship? They don't know what hit 'em. OCs.
1. Prologue: They're Professionals

**To Steal a Ring**

**By Wanderlust Ethereal**

**Summary**: They're two professional thieves. It's a solid gold magical Ring. A blind man could see how this'll end. The Fellowship? They don't know what hit 'em.

**Disclaimer:**Not miiiineee...

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><p><strong>Prologue: They're <strong>_**Professionals**_

Rivendell slept under the silvery light of the moon, elves, dwarves, men and hobbits alike resting and letting the serenity of the elven land distract them from the darkness looming in the horizon.

The Fellowship of the Ring slept along with the rest of them, their quest pushed to back of their minds. It was not time for such dreary matters. Not yet. The moon was full, and the tranquil light it gave was enough to lull them all to peaceful slumber.

But it was the same silver light that illuminated the path for the two dark figures creeping along the balconies and trellises of the Last Homely House. A plot was in motion, and it would begin tonight.

The two finally found the right balcony, and silently clambered up and into the room, soft footfalls inaudible to its occupant. They might have been elves, for all the noise they made, but they were not. These two were children of men – although one tended to argue that the other was actually an alien, just to clarify – and it was only the many years of experience in their line of work that had put them on par with the stealth of the ethereal elves. Experience which worked to their advantage now, with what they had set out to do.

In the bed, Frodo Baggins slumbered on. Oblivious to the two intruders in his room. Moonlight glinted off the golden band held by the silver chain hanging around his neck, it had fallen out of his clothes in his sleep, and now rested lightly upon his pillow. Where a strip of silver light fell upon it, looking for all the world like a simple trinket, innocently tantalizing, beckoning, demanding it be taken.

It took all of the thief's willpower not to simply snatch it off – that wouldn't do. They had to get the Ring, and with the ringbearer none the wiser. The last thing they needed was for the alarm to be raised.

A nod of understanding passed between the two, and the second left to guard the door while the first went to stand by the bedside and ease the silver chain along with its precious burden off the sleeping hobbit. It must have been only a few minutes, but to the two burglars it felt like an eternity, if Frodo stirred now…

Both held their breath as the hobbit stopped mid-snore and turned over, mumbling in his sleep. And it was a good few minutes before either dared to move again. Thankfully, Frodo's movement made it easier to pull the chain over his head.

In moments, the Ring was free, dangling in the air where twisted and turned, catching the light of the moon and glinting with deceptive innocence.

The two thieves shared a grin, pocketing the Ring, and clambered out of the room. They were elated at their success, but not enough to forget to be careful. They sidled out, hastily, but as casually as they could, still not making a noise.

They were professionals after all.

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><p>Lol. The Ring has been stolen...<p>

Chapter 1 will be up in... dunno, give me a week? I'm an erratic updater at best, although I've already written the first part of the chappie... sigh...

...tell me what you think?


	2. Chapter 1: A History on Theft

**To Steal A Ring**

**By Wanderlust Ethereal**

**A/N: **Sooo, Chapter One. Thanks to all those who reviewed and alerted this story, however, I'm afraid this chapter is pretty much just the background story of the thieves and their 'nemesis'. I hope you like it, anyway... I just had to get this bit out of the way before I sent them off to destroy Middle Earth. Next chapter will have Aragorn and the rest, m'kay?

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><p><strong>Chapter One: A History on Theft<strong>

Dante smiled gratefully as a cup of steaming coffee was pressed onto his hands. The night air was cold, and even his usual ensemble of suit, tie and trench coat failed to ward off the chill, all he wanted to do was crawl into the police cruiser and turn up the heat, maybe even play some music and have a nice, warm nap... However, tonight that wasn't an option.

Beside him, another officer was busy scanning the rooftops with night vision binoculars, checking on all the police snipers, the officers had already swarmed the outside of the museum, police cruisers with their flashing lights barricading the way in and out. Even the inside was filled with undercover cops, ready to jump into action the moment the alarm sounded.

They were ready for anything. There was no way anyone was getting in or out without alarming the entire police force, they'd pulled out all stops for this one, and with good reason.

The blonde detective gritted his teeth as he remembered his last meeting with the mayor –a rotund and balding man with an oily face and unpleasant disposition, or was it an unpleasant face and an oily disposition? Either way he was a politician through and through. _And they wonder why crazy criminals like these keep popping up in Venicia!_ _With government like this…_

In any case, the meeting hadn't gone well for Detective Dante Moseley at all, the mayor was convinced it was Dante's fault that the two most infamous thieves in Venicia's history had been walking free with the city's most prized artifacts –it probably didn't help that just last week the two had stolen the mayor's Corvette, drove it around the city in broad daylight (all the while chucking hundred dollar rolls at random gaping passers-by, that it came from the treasury was just insult to injury) before smashing it into the police station, effectively caving in one of the walls, and snatching a dumbfounded Dante's badge from _right off his_ chest and escaping without so much as a single scratch.

And with the donuts. And the coffee maker.

It was the disgrace of the Venicia Police Department. And the mayor, not to mention the media, made sure they knew it. Now the entire force was baying for blood.

In contrast, the tourism department was making big bucks selling Mad Hatter and White Rabbit paraphernalia. Who knew overly dramatic thieves clicked with tourists so much?

Dante levelled a sullen pout at the overly enthusiastic tourists standing just outside the police line with their cameras drawn, some already clicking away, all hoping to get a glimpse of the infamous Mad Hatter and White Rabbit before the night was over, he shook his head derisively.

_They aren't getting here 'til midnight, anyway…_

Another peculiar thing about the Hatter and Rabbit was that they always sent a note telling the police where and when the next heist would be, and they never failed to deliver – or carry off, rather. Dante himself had seen the two several times, it was hard not to, what with the garish costumes they were wearing.

They were flashy in every manner, it was like they delighted in outsmarting the police and making sure everyone knew it. They even had a website. A _website!_ With videos of the heists! And yet, nobody had seen them in person, much less given the police an accurate description. It was frustrating. So many policemen, tourists, eyewitnesses, pictures, and no one had gotten a face-to-face view of the two brigands.

And now it was Dante's fault. Everything was Dante's fault. Just cause the pretty boy looks and nice-to-look-at family background made him poster boy for the VPD. It _wasn't faaiir…_

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><p>"Dan is officially entering his miserable poster boy phase!" cried a chirpy voice, before the binoculars were set down.<p>

"More like he's _making_ his miserable poster boy _face_" said another in a clipped tone.

"Can't say I blame him" laughed the first; shaking her head "They're freezing their asses off out there!"

"You'd think they learn… we _always_ come when we say we will" this time, the clipped tone had a tinge of irritation in it. Cops could be such idiots sometimes, they'd save themselves a lot of trouble if they'd come at a reasonable time. The rendezvous was set for midnight, and it was only eight in the evening.

"Aww, leave it Ellie, s'not as if they're doing us any harm"

"They aren't _yet_, Addie"

"They couldn't hurt us if they tried!" chuckled the White Rabbit cheerfully. They'd been on dozens of high-risk heists before; tonight's job wouldn't be any different.

Mad Hatter raised an eyebrow before smirking at her partner-in-crime. "They probably _will _try. Sometime tonight, I imagine, unless Dan realizes resistance is futile and hands us the sapphire on his own"

The two laughed, watching the scene unfolding below them calmly; they weren't due to appear until midnight after all. In the meantime, there was hot chocolate and marshmallows to be had, and a couple of warm blankets and binoculars in the balcony made a perfect excuse of two best friends going stargazing. Oh, and Not-Spying on the idiots down below.

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><p>The hands of the clock slowly approached midnight, and the crescent moon reached its zenith up above. Tension coiled through the assemblage as everyone waited for Mad Hatter and White Rabbit to appear. More than one officer shifted in their seat, tapped an aimless rhythm on the nearest flat surface of just plain sweated.<p>

Would they finally catch the two? Would the thieves be able to get away with their latest target? The entire police force was out here, would Hatter and Rabbit even come?

The seconds ticked down, midnight was fast approaching. Where were they? Slowly, a collective silence descended on the group. All of them on alert for even the slightest discrepancy.

The town clock struck midnight with a resounding _BONG BONG BONG__._

Silence. Everyone had seemingly stopped, some wondering if the thieves were going to appear. A breeze blew. The assembly looked about at each other, there was no sign of the two thieves.

All around, there were sighs both of relief and dismay. The police began to relax.

Then Dante saw it.

Standing impossibly high, in the museum's roof and flapping in the wind was a sight that he'd know anywhere – the distinctive red top hat and cape that was Mad Hatter's trademark outfit.

"There!" he shouted, pointing. Gasps ran through the crowd, cameras flashed and the cape was suddenly covered in the bright red dots of snipers. The police was in an uproar, especially the ones surrounding and undercover inside. How did Mad Hatter get in without anyone knowing?

"Get him!" someone was barking orders "Surround him!"

As if shaken out of a trance, the police surged forward, intending to capture the thief.

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><p>Addie stifled a giggle as Mad Hatter, dressed in VPD best, continued barking contrasting orders at the unwitting officers to rush in and capture 'Hatter' or rather the lampshade that was currently sporting Mad Hatter's cape and hat, while the police, seeing the uniform, but not registering how odd it was that the superior's visor was angled just so you didn't get a good look of their face, started echoing the orders until the entire mass was a mess of legit superiors seeking to bring order and hold their lines while the confused mob rushed into the building.<p>

What resulted was a disorganized riot where people got squashed, stepped on, trampled and pushed out of the way.

It was messy. It was confusing. It was chaos.

It was _glorious_.

The White Rabbit took a deep breath, letting all the wonderful confusion wash over her as she turned away from the window, where Ellie had joined the throng and was rushing in to the museum, she only had a few minutes to get the undercovers distracted. Time to step it up.

"White Rabbit!" she squealed, pointing at a shadowy alcove. Perfectly on cue, the agents inside drew their weapons and surged to capture the non-existent thief, while Rabbit stepped back into the shadow of a pillar.

Just as they'd planned, Ellie ran in, aside two dozen officers baying for Mad Hatter.

In the confusion that followed, it was simply too easy for the two thieves – Hatter in uniform and Rabbit in 'undercover' Sunday dress – to jump a couple of officers; adding to the chaos, send several surprised people crashing into the glass protecting their target, snatch up the sapphire and disappear into the mass of bodies trying to figure out what the heck was going on.

It took about five minutes, all in all.

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><p>Dante shook his head as an officer handed him the Mad Hatter's hat, zipped up in a plastic bag as evidence. By the time they realized that it was only a decoy, the force was in chaos, and the thieves' target, the Corde Maris, was gone.<p>

They'd been tricked.

Just as the blonde detective began wallowing in unsavoury visions of having to face the mayor and the media after this, shouts began to ring up around him and he looked up just in time to see – Mad Hatter and White Rabbit.

The two were standing, again, impossibly high, on one of the nearby buildings, a spotlight was on them and this time, Dante could clearly see the outline of bodies. There was Mad Hatter, in his usual red top hat and brilliant scarlet cape – _wonder how many of those he actually has? _– and White Rabbit, her black curls flying in the wind, the ghostly white dress and ivory rabbit mask in place. They looked bored.

As if realizing Dante was looking, the Hatter took his black-clad hand from out of his cape and with a snap of his wrist, something was dangling from it. Something shiny.

_The Corde Maris_.

Dante sensed, more than saw, the two smirk at the same time. And in the blink of an eye, the two were up and running, striding through Venicia's rooftops with practiced ease. _That_ seemed to spur Dante into action, and the detective sprinted for the nearest bike. They weren't getting away. Not this time. Not if Detective Dante Moseley had anything to say about it.

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><p>The Corde Maris was not, in any way, an ordinary trinket. It was a sapphire roughly the size of a chicken's egg, and was gifted with a deep blue hue that seemed to echo that of the very depths of the ocean, hence its name. Corde Maris. Heart of the Ocean.<p>

It was also said, rumoured, that the gem was cursed. That those that held it in their hands were doomed to a watery death, that the stone would not rest until it was safely encased underneath the waves. Many scoffed at this. However, whether the curse was true or not, a trail of death followed the sapphire.

This deaths, of course, as far as Mad Hatter and White Rabbit were concerned, were easily explainable.

Greed. Human Nature. The whole shebang.

And as Hatter and Rabbit had not much use for greed. Nor human nature. The reason they stole the Corde Maris was this:

Because they could.

It was as simple as that.

The reason Mad Hatter somehow dived headfirst into what was most likely a watery death, however, was not so easy to explain.

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><p>It went like this:<p>

Mad Hatter, top hat, cape and thigh-high boots, was _running in the lead_ of a narrow street.

White Rabbit, mask, ballet dress and five inch heels, was _following Mad Hatter_ in a narrow street.

Dante Moseley, bike, tie and trench coat, previously chasing Hatter and Rabbit, was _tangled in a clothesline_ in a narrow street.

This was through no particular effort in the part of Hatter and Rabbit. Because the simple facts were these:

Dante was an idiot.

Mad Hatter was hopelessly fond of him, in the same way that one is hopelessly fond of one's endearing but retarded cousins (or hyperactive puppies).

However, unknown to Dante Moseley, Elisabeth Moseley-Drake aka Ellie aka Mad Hatter, was, in fact, his cousin.

That she thought of him as an overgrown hyperactive puppy may or may not be known to him.

Ellie and Addie had tried to remedy him of it, once, but had given up after a while. He was simply that much of an idiot. And thus it was that the two thieves, feeling sorry for their idiotic pursuer, decided to walk back and disentangle him from said clothesline. It was a bit hard because Dante had somehow managed to pull a sheet over his head before getting entangled and was currently rolling around in the cobbled street, panicking, and causing the lines to get even _more _tangled on him.

The two thieves took a moment to gape at the newest display of idiocy, before sighing and sharing a look. Disentangling him would be _bitch_.

"Tell me you've brought a knife" whispered Rabbit.

"I won't tell you then" replied Hatter.

Long story short, they got Dante out, he panicked, knocked Hatter on the head, Rabbit head-butted him, he somehow managed to snatch back the Corde Maris, made a run for it, tripped over his own two feet and fell in a ditch.

Ellie sighed as Dante floundered in the water, screaming about drowning, and wondered how long it would take him to realize it was only three feet deep. Addie disguised a helpless giggle as a cough.

It should now be pointed out that the Corde Maris, unknown to the trio, was, in fact, cursed. Although not in the way most people thought.

Dante had dropped it into the water.

And then things, specifically the water, began to get rather… glowy.

And so, when Dante got pulled down suddenly, in three feet deep water, Ellie dutifully, but exasperatedly, jumped in after him. Addie blinked. Decided.

And then she jumped in too.

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><p><strong>AN: **That's they're history done... review please? I'd love to hear what you think...


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